A native of Denison, Texas, I was seven when my family moved, so I grew up in Arlington and Dallas. While I was in junior high school, I became involved in gymnastics and was on the gymnastics team at the University of North Texas.

After I graduated from North Texas, with a degree in Psychology, I opened a gymnastics club in Richardson, Texas. A 20-year continuing involvement in competitive gymnastics produced many state and regional champion gymnasts.

I have been married to my wonderful husband for 27 years, and I have a son that we raised together. I also have a stepson and four beautiful grandchildren. When my son was in high school, I returned to school to get my master's degree in Social Work, so that I would be ready to go to work when he graduated from school. I graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Master of Science degree in Social Work and became licensed as a clinical social worker 2 years later.

For the past 11 years, I have provided services to children and severely mentally ill adults in Dallas’s largest community mental health center. During my career in Dallas, I was promoted to Director of the ACT program that provides services to chronically mentally ill adults who have had many psychiatric hospitalizations. I managed a staff of 20 caseworkers and 3 therapists, all working towards the goal of keeping our clients out of the hospital, and our ACT program became one of the most successful ACT teams in the Dallas area.

As a Board Certified Supervisor, I am qualified to provide supervision to other social workers who are working towards their clinical licensure. I have always had a passion for working with children and for helping people overcome challenges, so they can live their life to the fullest.